Short Interest in Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) Drops By 24.5%

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWBK) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,100 shares, a decrease of 24.5% from the February 13th total of 9,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 11,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Hawthorn Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Hawthorn Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of Hawthorn Bancshares stock opened at $28.51 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $199.20 million, a PE ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 0.60. Hawthorn Bancshares has a 12-month low of $17.86 and a 12-month high of $35.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.66.

Hawthorn Bancshares (NASDAQ:HWBK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter. Hawthorn Bancshares had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 13.00%.

Hawthorn Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 15th will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Hawthorn Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 29.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jonathan Holtaway sold 2,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.91, for a total transaction of $88,264.62. Following the sale, the director now owns 366,598 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,064,740.18. This trade represents a 0.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 23.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hawthorn Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,719,000 after purchasing an additional 6,955 shares during the period. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. now owns 15,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hawthorn Bancshares by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 5,870 shares during the period. 30.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hawthorn Bancshares Company Profile

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Hawthorn Bank that provides various banking services in the United States. It accepts checking, savings, money market, individual retirement, and other time deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also offers commercial and industrial, single payment personal, installment, commercial and residential real estate, and consumer loans, as well as equipment, operating, and small business administration loans; and debit and credit cards.